Going back 2,000 Years. . .And More

From Santa Maria della Pace, we doubled back past the Pantheon.  We still didn't go into it, as that would be part of our tour the next day.  

But one never tires of admiring the Pantheon, even if the obelisk fountain in the center of the piazza is surrounding by chain link fencing and plywood #bitter.  

The word "pantheon" means "all the gods."   It is arguably the greatest dome in the world, and inspired Michelangelo's St. Peter's dome and Brunelleschi's Duomo dome in Florence.  

Pantheon and obelisk. Block out

the plywood out of your mind.

These single piece granite

columns are 40 feet tall.

Yes, I took the column photos

our first night, but forgot to

include them in that blog post,

so here they are.

The crossed keys are the official insignia

of the Pope since the 14th century.

Remember, this building is over

2,000 years old.  Awe-struck.

From there we passed the Italian Senate (not location of the Senate in ancient Rome) and then came to Piazza di Montecitorio, which features a Egyptian obelisk from the sixth century BC.  The hill, also called Montecitorio, is the smallest of the seven in Rome.  The hill is so small you might not realize you've walked "uphill" to get there.

Emperor Augustus brought the obelisk to Rome to celebrate his victory over Mark Anthony and Cleopatra.  How would you like the pressure of moving it from Egypt to Rome without chipping or breaking it?  No thanks.  And imagine what it cost Fed Ex to ship it!

The obelisk was covered in centuries of debris and forgotten until it was rediscovered in the 1700s.  The pope at the time had it re-erected.  It served both as a sundial and calendar back in the day, and still works as a sundial (when there is sun).  

The obelisk is in front of the Italian Parliament, which is where the lower chamber meets.  Like the Senate, it has plenty of security.  Back before Italy was unified, the building was used as the high court of the papal state.  The facade was built by Bernini, and was designed to make the small square feel grander.

Dad, eldest daughter, mom in front

of the obelisk and parliament.

If you like the hieroglyphics,

read my Egypt blog;

completely amazing trip.

The flags on the building of Parliament.